Year 8 Engineering

2019
Overview of the course
• Utilising the design process, and the engineering
process, you will explore, research, design, test,
engineer, produce and evaluate a CO2 dragster from
balsa.

• You will learn about and develop skills in engineering

and timber production. You will document your design
process in a journal and produce a small-scale
prototype for testing. You will develop understanding
of project management, hand tools, equipment, safety
and basic engineering principles.
Introduction
 Collaborating and Managing Investigation and defining
________________________
________________________

The Design
Process Generating and Designing
________________________

Evaluating
________________________

Producing and Implementing

________________________
The Engineering Process
Merging the two processes
Investigation and defining
The Design Challenge
The Queensland Drag Racing Championships brings racers from all across the
state to compete for a prestigious Trophy and Track Champion status at
Willowbank Raceway, delivering high-octane action for both racers and
spectators.

In order to make the event more family friendly, we have been asked to create a
display of the rail cars for the younger audience. This will be the first step in
showcasing your understanding of engineering. We have been given detailed
design specifications and from these we are designing and producing a CO2
Dragster.
 Design Criteria
The dragster needs to travel down a 20 metre track while being
propelled by a CO2 cartridge. It must be held in place using an eye
hook to position the dragster and the launching apparatus to
puncture the CO2 cartridge.

The dragster can be any shape as long as it it carved from the given
blanks and meets the weight requirements. The design should reflect
your research.

You will be given class time to use the Internet to search for
information about CO2 dragsters. You must show documentation of
your research, along with the web addresses used.
Watch Video
 Outline of task

CO2 dragsters must be built to certain specifications to avoid interference with the
propulsion system, wheel placement, launch system, guidance system, as well as the
prevention of failure or destruction during testing.

During the construction you will learn to use many tools, machines, safety equipment, and
identify the potential safety hazards associated with them.

Finally the testing of the dragsters, the vehicle are propelled down a track by compressed
Carbon Dioxide gas. The CO2 cartridge is punctured so the gas can rapidly leave the
canister causing the dragster to move. The dragster is guided down the track by fishing
line or wire. Track length is approximately 20 metres. The process of testing the dragsters
will allow you to compare and analyse the different designs for success and needed
improvements.
 Dragster Specifications
Section Acceptable ranges Section Acceptable ranges Section Acceptable ranges

Bottom of front axle

Body width – at
Car length 200 - 305 mm 90mm max hole above bottom of 5-10mm
both axles
block

Height from bottom of

Car width 35 – 42mm
90mm max Front axle length cartridge hole to hmmm
(including wheels) (including Wheels)
ground

35 – 42mm Depth of cartridge

Wheelbase 105 - 270mm Rear axle length 50-52mm
(including Wheels) hole

Distance
between screw 155 t- 270mm Rear axle hole Thickness around
eyes 9 – 10mm
from rear of cartridge housing 3mm
Screw eyes from block (MUST not be broken)
2 - 5 mm
edge
 There are a number of things that need to be
researched as a part of the design and
engineering process. The Dragster has a
number of important elements and as engineers
we need to research the materials we are
planning to use.

Engineers do this to ensure they are using the

best materials for the task.

The first thing you are going to research is the Balsa wood
used to construct the body of the Dragster.
 Balsa Wood Research
• Describe balsa wood?
• Where was it discovered?
• What is Balsa wood mainly used for?
• Describe the manufacturing process from tree to plank.
• What tools can you use to cut, shape and smooth Balsa
wood?
• List the sustainable options for Balsa Wood
CO2 Research
Carbon
dioxide is a
chemical
compound
composed of
one carbon and
two oxygen
atoms. It is
often referred
to by its
formula CO2
• While a Pinewood Derby car is simply
put on a downward-sloping track and
released, CO2 dragsters have agents of
propulsion that launch them forward in
a (hopefully) straight line on a level
track. The "engine" that propels the
tiny car in this case is a carbon dioxide
cartridge, also known as a soda bulb.
Types of Dragsters
There are many different types of
dragsters propelled by CO2 that
you can make or use. Given below
are the three main types.

Rail Car
This design for a dragster miniature has wheels
that are externally placed and an extremely narrow
chassis. It is one of the easiest models to make.
The design is also such that it causes a reduction
in the mass of the car, thus increasing speed
efficiency. But because it has a thin frame, it is
prone to breaking easily. Also it is not as
aerodynamically stablehttps://wheelzine.com/co2-dragster
as it could be.
 Shell Car

If you are a constructing a shell car,

then the design will be such that it
will have internal wheels and a bullet
shape. These cars are more difficult
to build because the wheels need to
be placed inside, thus requiring
special parts. But the design is such
that it is aerodynamic thus giving it a
higher speed capability.
 Show Car
If you are looking for a
dragster that can be
customized greatly, then the
show car design is the one
you should choose. These
are not made to be fast.
They have wheels placed
externally and the design in
itself is detailed.
Performance is not of
 Parts of a CO2 Dragster
Axles
Axles are rods which provide grip to the wheels and
position it at the block. Axles are made of
aluminium, steel, or brass. Using aluminium there
is the added advantage of less weight.

Bearings
The bearing in a CO2 Dragster is a straw. The
straw is placed in the block and the axle goes
through it. This is used to reduce friction
https://wheelzine.com/co2-dragster
Wheels
Wheels help the car move forward. The axles are
attached to the wheels. The drag force produced by
the axle helps control the speed of the car and help
stop it.

The Body
The body of the car is constructed using of a
piece of wood then drilling and shaping into the
design. In general, basswood and balsa wood
is used. Balsa wood is easy to work with and it
is light in weight. Power tools are used to
CO2 Cartridge
CO2 cartridge is the source of power for the
dragster.

Eye Screws
These screws are linked to a string to the bottom
of the car to prevent it from losing control during
launch.

Washers
The washers are placed between the wheel and
the body of the car to reduce friction
 Engineering Principles
Engineering is like a balancing act. When you do one thing to
overcome a problem, often you create another two problems, never
solving either entirely. It's a game of give and take. And in CO2
design, it is no different. Engineering a CO2 car can be broken into
four main principles.
 Most people will refer to CO2 cars as
dragsters. This invites the comparison to
top fuel dragsters the likes of which are
seen (and heard) screaming down a
dragstrip at incredible speeds. But that's
where the comparison ends.

CO2 powered cars run on the same principle The driving principle behind
that propels rocket or jet powered land speed these cars is that of Newton's
record vehicles. One of these vehicles, from Third Law: "For every action,
England, recently broke the land speed record there is an equal and
as well as the sound barrier (over 1223 Km opposite reaction.".
per hour).
 Many of the features of a dragster will actually work against a
CO2 race car. For example, spoilers are used to force a dragster's
wheels into the ground in an effort to increase traction so that
all the engine's energy can be transformed into forward motion.
Thanks to Newton's Third Law, the CO2 cartridge pushing our cars
takes care of forward motion for us; spoilers, although cool
looking, just add drag. Dragster engines burn enormous amounts
of fuel which requires large air intakes and exhaust pipes to suck
air into the engine and shoot hot exhaust gasses out of the engine.

Our CO2 race cars have no engine and burn

no fuel, so air intakes and exhaust pipes only
act like parachutes to slow them down.
Engineering Principle No. 1.

MASS
This is how large and heavy the car is. Simply put, the less
weight your dragster has, the faster it will go. This is the most
important factor that will figure into your design. Keep it light!

The Balancing Act:

Advantages: Cars Disadvantages: Cars

with less mass go with more mass are
much faster. more stable and
durable but slower.
Engineering Principle No. 2.

FRICTION
First, make sure the tires are free from any defects by carefully sanding. Make
sure they are not rubbing on the car body. Next, sand away any imperfections
on the axles. Finally, be sure to install your eye hooks properly. Poorly aligned
eye hooks are often the cause of a slow car.

The second most important fact you'll face. Because the dragster has
parts moving against one another, friction is created. You can help
reduce it by making sure the axles are free to rotate, and that the
wheels and tires are not rubbing on the car body.

Advantages: Disadvantages:
• A friction filled car is easy to build. A friction filled car is slow,
• A friction filled car is slow, so it
tends to be more durable.
Fluid Friction
As the race car travels down the track, it moves through a fluid. Most
people don’t think of air as a fluid, but it is. While in motion, the car’s
surface contacts air molecules. Because there is relative motion
between the car and air molecules (the car is in motion while the air
is stationary), friction occurs.
Engineering Principle No. 3.

DRAG
Aerodynamic force that resists the motion of an object moving through a
fluid (air and water are both fluids).

Try this next time you are in the car…. Put your hand out a window and
rotate it. You will notice much more force (drag) when the palm of your
hand is open and vertical then when it is open and horizontal.

The Balancing Act

Advantage - Aerodynamically Disadvantage -

shaped cars are less Aerodynamically "clean" cars
"draggy," so they go faster. are more difficult to build.
Engineering Principle No. 4.

A DESIGN
ENVELOPE
In the real world most everything has a limit. That limit could be technology
available, labour available, materials, or cost. For example, oil tankers are
designed to be just wide enough that they will fit through the Panama
Canal. Our CO2 cars also have a set of minimum and maximum dimensions,
called Design Restrictions.

Many builders will automatically assume that if they make their car to the
minimum specifications that it will be faster. Other builders will keep their
car at maximum length in hopes of having an advantage. Who's right? One
thing is sure: if your car doesn't meet the minimum or maximum
dimensions, it won't be racing at all. Without design restrictions the
competition would not be fair.
The Balancing Act

Advantages: Cars that follow Disadvantages: Cars may go faster if

design restric2ons can design restrictions are not followed,
compete equally and safely. but will be disqualified.
 Where to from here?
Planning
When producing the final dragster, good craftsmanship is very important. Your
dragster will perform it’s best if you build it very carefully. So why all this planning?
• In engineering poor planning can lead to disaster. Bridges falling apart, buildings
collapsing, cars exploding and crashing!
• Problems always occur but we do our best with planning to prevent things from
happening
The 5 Step Plan
Generating and Designing
This involves students:
- developing and communicating ideas for a range of audiences.
- creating change, making choices, weighing up options, considering
alternatives and documenting various design ideas and possibilities.
- using critical and creative thinking strategies to generate, evaluate
and document ideas
- generating creative and innovative ideas

We have ASKED what we need to do, RESEARCHED

the materials required, it is time to move to the
IMAGINE step of the Engineering Process.
 Develop
thumbnail
sketches

We will now start with the

next phase of the
engineering process.

Look at what sketching is….

 Sketching is…..
oSMALL QUICK DRAWINGS THAT EXPRESS IDEAS.

oOFTEN ROUGH AND/OR UNFINISHED.

oCHEAP AND INSTANTLY AVAILABLE.

oFREEHAND.

oA RECORD OF YOUR DESIGN PROCESS.

oMOST DESIGNERS SKETCH IN THEIR PROCESS.

3 Rough drawing
Types of drawing required for all three include
are side view, top view, back and a ¾ view. You
need to locate where the wheels will go.
Crating
Playdough Protypes
Use playdough to create three (3)
prototypes to help with your final
design selection.
 The next step
We have investigated by ASKING what are the needs and
constraints of the task are, RESEARCHED the material required
and the engineering principals and IMAGINED the different
designs for the dragster, we now come to the PLANNING stage of
the Engineering process. Now we gather the ideas, compare for
suitability, self-evaluate, get feedback from peers so we can
acquire the final sign off before production begins. We must
start with a technical drawing template.
Technical Drawing Template
We need to select one design from the 3 rough drawings. We are going to add all of the
features onto a template. We we use this temple to create the car from wood.
 Self-evaluation of the design

1. Does your chosen design fulfil all of the required engineering specifications (as per
the Dragster Specification page) Yes/No

2. Does the playdough version of your dragster support your idea or did you need to
modify your design?

1. Do you think your design will be the fastest in the class? Why/Why not?

Use a T-chart to LIST the strengths and weaknesses of your design.

Strengths Weaknesses
 Peer evaluation of the design

1. Does your chosen design fulfil all of the required engineering specifications (as per
the Dragster Specification page) Yes/No

2. Does the playdough version of your dragster support your idea or did you need to
modify your design?

1. Do you think your design will be the fastest in the class? Why/Why not?

Use a T-chart to LIST the strengths and weaknesses of your design.

Strengths Weaknesses
 Producing and Implementing
Students learn and apply:
- knowledge about components, materials and their characteristics and properties
- the importance of adopting safe work practices - accurate production skills
- work practices - modelling and prototyping -simple and complex physical models

Engineering Principals
So far, we have ASKED what the needs and constraints of the task are, RESEARCHED
the problems, IMAGINED the possible solutions and PLANNED a promising solution.
We now head into the CREATING stage of the engineering process. But firstly, we
need to attend to Workplace Health and Safety issues and then planning procedure to
construct the dragster.
Definitions
 Risk Assessment

A risk assessment is a thorough look at your workplace to identify those

things, situations, processes. that may cause harm to people. After
identification is made, you analyse and evaluate how likely and severe
the risk is.

1. Make a list of the risks that could happen in a workshop using the tools
above, in the following table.
2. Write an action that needs to be taken for each of the above risks.
 Trace templates to blank

• Use a photocopy of the working drawings as a

template for cutting and shaping the wooden blank
into a dragster body.
• Cut out the front view and top view.
• Glue the views to the wooden blank. Line up the
back and base of the template and the blank.

NB. Because the top view is glued to the sloping

surface on the blank, it will be slightly shorter.
 Set up drill and make axle holes

• Use a drill press to drill the front

and rear axle holes in the position
shown on the working drawing.
Accuracy is important. Misaligned
holes will cause friction, resulting in
a slow dragster.
 Cut dragster body

• Cut out the side view using a bandsaw or scroll saw.

A coping saw can also be used but the results are
not as accurate.
• This process will cut pieces out of the top view. Save
all the pieces. They will be used in the next step.
• Use masking or sticky tape to reassemble the blank
(and recreate the top view).
• Cut out the top view of the dragster.
 Shape and sand dragster
body
• Smooth out the shape using files and sandpaper.

• Once you are happy with the shape, use fine

sandpaper (particularly on balsa) to give the body
of your dragster a smooth finish ready for painting.
 Paint dragster body

• Insert dowel into the power-plant hole to hold the body

while painting. For the best surface finish, apply a primer
first and, when dry, sand with 400 grit sandpaper.
• Reapply the primer until a smooth surface is achieved.
• Paint can then be applied by spray (preferred) or by
brush with a very light sandpaper between coats. Three
or four light coats are better than one heavy coat. A
smooth high gloss finish results in less drag and
therefore a faster dragster.
 Prepare axle assembly

• Cut the axle material to the required length. It

is very important to keep the axle material
straight, a small bend in the axle results in
wheel wobble, friction and a slow dragster.
• Remove the burr on the ends of the axles with
a file and lightly sand with 400–800 grit
sandpaper to remove imperfections.
 Assemble dragster
• Assemble the dragster by inserting the axles and adding a
washer between the wheels and the dragster to reduce friction.
• Attach the wheels, checking that the rear wheels are on the
correct way.
• Position the screw-eyes along the centreline of the dragster
body, either in front of, or behind, the axles. The screw-eyes
must be parallel to the race surface. Inaccuracy will result in
friction between the fishing line and the screw-eyes. Coat the
screw-eye threads with a little glue. This will hold them in place.
• Complete the dragster assembly by adding decals (stickers), pin
strips and painting the wheel hubs.
 Evaluating
Students:
- evaluate and make judgements throughout a design process - identify criteria
for success.
- develop criteria - consider the implications and consequences of actions and
decision-making.
- determine effective ways to test and judge their designed solutions.
- reflect on processes and transfer their learning to other design opportunities.

So far, we have ASKED what the needs and constraints of the task are, RESEARCHED
the problems, IMAGINED the possible solutions and PLANNED a promising solution.
In the previous CREATING stage, we produced a dragster. We now are going to TEST
AND EVALUATE stage where we will put the dragster to the test on the race track.
Before we start, we need to develop criteria for success. Once completed, we will
EVALUATE the dragster using the criteria for success.
 Criteria for Success
Develop criteria
for success to
help you evaluate
the dragster to
meet the design
challenge. Use
the ‘Criteria for
success’ template
to assist you.
 Collaborating and Managing
Students:
- work collaboratively - work individually and in groups to plan
- develop the ability to communicate and share ideas throughout the process
- make compromises to work effectively as a team. - move from planned steps to automaticity
- organise and monitor timelines, activities and resources.

The final stage of the Engineering Process is IMPROVING. After the

EVALUATION has been completed, it is time to think about what
you could do, if you were asked to complete the race again.

List 3 things that affected the performance of a vehicle and

what you will do next time.